by Renee George
"Speaking of family stuff. The full moon is on Saturday. You want me to go with you to the state park when you run?"
"I’ll let you know."
"Okay,” I said. “You know, you have an open invitation to run on my property anytime you want. It really does ease the energy of the moon."
"Changing often makes you careless, Lily. Or at least it does me. I'm choosing to live with humans, so I stay human as much as I can." It was a gentle admonishment of my indiscretions, but an admonishment all the same.
"If you change your mind," I said.
He patted my shoulder and chuckled softly. "Do you want a hamburger to go?"
"Uhm, yes," I said, suddenly hungry. "With everything."
After this afternoon, I was mentally exhausted. Parker was understandably disappointed when I told him I was going home for the night, but he knew what it meant to need to be alone sometimes. He suffered from PTSD from his time of military service, but I had my own demons from battles fought too close to home. And for whatever reason, the day had dug up a pang of sadness in me that I'd thought I'd put away. Letting my inner cougar out to run was the only thing that would help me put it away, and I couldn't do that in the middle of town.
Before I left, I'd grabbed a small scoop of Smooshie's poop from Parker's backyard, I dropped the sample off at Ryan's Clinic. While I was there, I looked at the crack in his sidewalk. It was small like he'd said. Maybe only seven inches long and less than a quarter of an inch wide at its biggest opening. The minor blemish had been filled with some kind of rubber cement, but a grooved curve near the center of the crack caught my eye. I picked at the filler until just the edge of it came up.
Smooshie circled around me, her leash wrapping my knees and nearly pulling me over. "Hey," I said. "Settle down." I knew she was anxious for a romp in the woods. It had been four days since we'd last been home, and her favorite exercise was chasing my cougar around our ten acres.
"Whatcha doing?" Ryan asked.
"Does this look like a drill hole to you?" I pointed to the rounded spot where I'd picked at the sealant.
Ryan squatted down next to me, and Smooshie lodged her big head under his butt and threw him forward.
"Smoosh!" I admonished on a laugh. "Sorry about that," I told him. "She has no manners."
"It's a good thing she so pretty then," he said on a chuckle. "Now, let's see what you're talking about." Ryan leaned down closer to get a better look, and I hugged Smooshie's neck, so she wouldn't molest him again. "Maybe. I'm not sure, but it could be. Do you think someone created the crack by drilling into the sidewalk?"
I shrugged. "I'm not sure if it works like that, but after today, I can't help but be suspicious. You might ask the contractor who fixed it what he thinks."
"It's too late to do anything about it now," he said. "If something else happens, I'll pay closer attention."
Chapter 4
Tuesday morning, I sat through orientation with a Mr. Phillip Danby for Composition II, and a Professor Dan Charles for my last elective, a botany class. I figured studying plants would give me a leg up when it came to identifying plants toxic to animals, especially after I went on an emergency call with Ryan to a farm where a cow suffered from poisoning after eating leaves from an elderberry bush. It made me want to be more aware of the types of dangers Smooshie might be exposed to out in nature. Besides, it seemed like a fun and easy class, and with two homework heavy courses already on my short summer schedule, I needed fun and easy.
Professor Charles was younger than I expected--tall, thin, and handsome in a bookish way, round glasses, an aquiline nose, and a narrow jaw. Best of all, he seemed excited about plants. My favorite classes were the ones where the teachers were genuinely fond of the subject matter. The syllabus included a field trip day to collect local specimens, which made my nature-loving heart skip a beat.
My phone, on vibrate, buzzed in my backpack, sounding loud in the small classroom. The professor stared down his nose at me but continued talking about what we could expect from the class. I focused on ignoring the droning sound until it stopped. I grimaced apologetically.
"And finally," Professor Charles said, "There are the obligatory classroom conduct rules. One. I won't tolerate tardiness. The door will close and lock at the beginning of class, and I won't open it for late students. You will take an absent for the day."
Harsh, I thought, but okay.
My phone began to vibrate again. I cringed when the professor turned his gaze on me again.
"Two," he said. "I have a no tolerance policy for disrespectful behavior toward me and toward other students in the form of hate speech or violence. If you are a racist, sexist, or any other type of bigot, keep it to yourself, or I will use my discretion to drop you from my class."
There wasn't anything I disagreed with on that policy, and thankfully, my phone stopped buzzing again.
"Third." He held up three fingers. "Cheating in any form will get you failed in this class, and you will be turned in to the administration for discipline."
A young man in the back row snorted. Professor Charles narrowed his gaze at the student until the kid looked away nervously.
"Fourth. This is a fast-paced class. If you show up, pay attention, and do the lesson plans you will not only pass this course, you will do it with flying colors. Any failure in this class will be yours, not mine. Any success will also be yours. You're paying to be here, so act like it."
My phone started again. I stifled a groan. Who the hell was calling over and over?
"Fifth." He looked at me pointedly. "Turn off your phones at the door." Then he nodded. "Take your call, Miss Mason. Outside the room." To the rest of the class, he said, "You can go. See you all on Thursday."
I scrambled up and grabbed my backpack. I dug the phone out of the side-pocket as I fled the room.
"Crap." The call disconnected before I could pick up. The screen showed three missed calls from Theresa. I touched the return call button, and she picked up on the first ring.
"Oh, Lily! Thank heavens. You need to get down to The Cat's Meow right now."
"What's happening?" I was already pulling my keys and running out of the building toward the parking lot.
"I was having lunch with Keith and Jock came in all full of piss and vinegar. I think he's drunk. It's not even noon!" Her words were heavy with emotions. "It's so awful. Freda got upset and started yelling, then Jock went off on her, so Buzz got involved. It came to blows, and Buzz knocked Jock to the floor. The sheriff was called. There's a deputy here, taking statements, but Buzz might be arrested."
"For what?" I dropped my keys when I tried to put them in the truck door. "Shoot." I scooped them off the asphalt.
"He landed the only punch, and Jock wants to press charges. Deputy Morris and Nadine took the call. They're trying to calm everyone down, but I think Buzz needs you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for all of this."
I got the keys in the second time, unlocked the door, and climbed inside. "This isn't your fault, Theresa. Jock is the only one to blame here. Help Buzz as best you can. I'll be there in five minutes."
My heart thrummed in my throat as I threw the truck in gear and ripped out of the parking lot and onto the Two Hills Boulevard. Buzz wouldn't normally hit someone, no matter the reason. With the full moon around the corner, he'd be edgier than normal, but he'd managed to keep it civil for over forty years among the humans, so I didn't know why he was suddenly out of control. I took a deep breath and slowed down. I would be no good to Buzz if I got pulled over on the way to his diner. Still, I drove a little over the speed limit, got a lucky break at two stoplights, and rolled through two stop signs to get to the diner in three minutes flat. Luckily, only one sheriff's vehicle was in the parking lot, which meant, Nadine and Bobby Morris hadn't called for backup.
I parked and raced inside. The diner was full of unusually quiet patrons, all enrapt with the lunchtime show going on between Jock and Buzz. Jock was giving his statement to Bobby. When I brushed pass
ed the two of them, the sweet smell of alcohol clung to the air around Jock. Ugh. Maybe if he got off his liquid diet of booze and ate some solid food, he wouldn’t be such a caustic jerk. I doubted it, though. Jock was awful drunk or sober. His bruised face reddened when he saw me. His speech was slightly slurred as he compared me to a female dog.
"You shut your mouth," Buzz growled, surging forward. He almost knocked Theresa, who had been standing between him and Jock, down. Nadine caught one arm. I sidestepped Theresa and grabbed Buzz's other arm. Nadine made little headway hauling him back because as a shifter, Buzz was stronger than most men, but I was able to slow him before he could get anywhere near Jock.
"Buzz!" I said with a sharpness of worry. At least, his eyes hadn't changed. It would be impossible to explain to a room full of witnesses why Buzz's eyes glowed if he started to partially shift. "Stop." Between Jock and the lunar-cycle, he was about to lose his normal ironclad control.
Nadine's expression reflected my worry. "Let's go to the office where I can take your statement," she said, trying to sound official. When my uncle wouldn't budge, she said, "Damnit, Buzz. I need you to calm down."
He looked at her, and the hardness around his eyes softened.
"You're gonna get yourself arrested if you don't settle down, and since I won't book you, I'll probably get fired. Is that what you want?" she asked, her tone soft with a combination of anger and affection.
"Let's go," I told Buzz. "Back to your office."
"I'm pressing charges, Mason!" Jock said the moment we had Buzz turned and moving in the right direction. "I'll see you behind bars!"
"Keep walking," I said frantically.
When we got him in the office, Freda walked in behind us and closed the door. I could still hear that foul-mouthed ape shouting veiled and not so veiled threats.
Freda sagged against the door and wiped her brow with the back of her hand. "That man needs to find Jesus," she said.
Nadine shook her head. "Even Jesus would want to punch that no good piece of trash."
"Well, I certainly want to punch him," I said, adding my two-cents.
Buzz paced back and forth like a caged animal, his rage so strong I could feel it to my bones. I reached out to him, and he flinched away. What was going on with Buzz? It couldn't just be the full moon heightening his agitation.
"Can I have a minute alone with my cousin?" I asked his two allies.
"Sure." Freda nodded to Buzz. "Thanks for having my back out there. I'm just sorry you're in trouble over it."
"He won't be in any trouble," Nadine said. "Count on it." Still, she looked worried. I didn't blame her. He was worrying me as well.
Buzz continued his back and forth stalking even after the two ladies exited. I waited until I could hear them walk away before speaking. "What is going on, Buzz? This isn't you."
He clenched and relaxed his fists several times and rolled his shoulders as if trying to shake an unshakable tension.
"I know the full moon is close, but you've been handling it for years, no, decades. What in the world made you lash out at Jock Simmons of all people?"
"I hate that man," he finally said, his words edged in a growl. "But I shouldn't have hit him."
"No, you shouldn't have, but I'm more worried about the why than the what? Why did you do it?" I went to the door and locked it then I turned back to Buzz. "You need to shift. Now."
"I can't." He continued his pacing.
I moved in front of him, forcing him to halt. When he met my gaze, I put demand into my question. "Why?"
"Nadine wants a baby?"
"What?" It felt as if every gear in my brain started rotating in high gear. "I don't understand. Explain this to me."
"About a year ago, after we moved in together, Nadine started talking about kids."
I took his hands. "But shifters and humans can't..."
He moved his gaze to our entwined fingers. "Only maybe they can. I reached out to a network of other integrators living across the country. Four months ago, a guy in California told me he'd successfully impregnated his wife by not shifting at all for six months. He worked with another integrator, a biologist, and found that if a male shifter withholds his animal side long enough, he creates sperm that carries more human DNA than therianthropic DNA. It becomes compatible with humans."
"You have no idea if any of this is true, Buzz. Why would you jeopardize your life here for something so trivial? Nadine would happily adopt a child if you had simply said you were sterile."
"She wants her own child." He shook his head, then looked at me. "Maybe I want one as well."
I caressed his furry cheek. "Oh, Buzz." I looked around. "But at what cost? You still have two more months to go, and you are losing it."
"I can do this, Lily. I need to try." The plea of desperation in his eyes made me want to weep.
"What happened to, 'we can play with them, but we can't keep them'?"
"I think you and I have both crossed that line."
"The difference is, Parker knows what I am."
He withdrew his hands from mine and turned his back to me. "I can't tell Nadine."
"Why?" Nadine was one of my best friends now, and I'd been tempted more times than I could count to tell her the truth about me. The fact that it was Buzz's secret as well had been the one thing that stopped me.
"I can't risk losing her."
"Don't you think she loves you enough to understand? Parker--"
"Parker has your scent, Lily." His tone was sharp, filled with pain tinged in anger. "I don't have the benefit of a mate scent with Nadine. Your witch ancestry on your mother's side makes you unique."
"Humans fall in love, trust, marry, have babies. All without a mate scent. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith."
He snorted. "That's easy for you to say."
I shook my head. "No, it isn't."
"My life isn't up for debate." His eyes flashed bright green.
"You're going to lose it, Buzz." I pointed at the door. "You already have. What are you going to do if you get thrown in jail for assault?"
"I'll be fine." He waved me off. "This is my life. Don't interfere."
"All right." I sighed. "I'll let it be. For now. But you might consider closing shop over this week. At least, until after the full moon. The fewer people you're around right now, the better."
“I can’t close the diner.”
“Then get someone else to run it for you. You are a man on the edge of doing something really stupid.”
His shoulders slumped, and he nodded. "I'll think about it."
"That's all I ask."
A knock came. "Can I come in?" Nadine asked.
Buzz and I locked gazes. He gave me a nod, so I unlocked the door.
"Am I being arrested?" he asked when Nadine entered.
She smiled. "According to witness statements, Jock threw the first punch." She shrugged. "And while he might not have hit you, it's a clear case of self-defense. Deputy Morris is waiting to see if you want to press charges."
Buzz chuckled. "Tell him to let the douchebag go, but also, remind said douchebag he's banned from The Cat's Meow. For Life."
Chapter 5
Parker wore tan coveralls without a shirt as he carried a ladder and a bucket of painting supplies down the sidewalk toward the east side of the shelter. I honked the truck's horn to get his attention and pulled into the driveway. A breeze rustled the leaves in a way that sounded like dry rain.
"You're back early," he said, setting the ladder against the siding.
I shaded my eyes when I got out of the truck. "Class got out early."
Parker greeted me with a kiss that nearly made me forget about my awful morning, while his honey and mint scent made me weak in the knees. "How was it?"
"What?" I asked a little breathlessly.
"Your classes. How'd they go?"
"Quickly. Just a basic syllabus walkthrough in both of them."
He pressed his fingertip between my eyes. "What'
s this about?"
I moved his hand aside. "Quit poking at my creases."
He put his hands on my hips and gave them a playful twist. "What are you worrying about?"
"Buzz punched Jock Simmons."
"What? When?" He let his hands drop to his sides. "How?"
"Buzz punched Jock. About forty minutes ago. And in the usual way." I made a fist and mocked a punch to his nose.
Parker grinned.
"Don't you dare laugh. It's not funny. He could have gotten into some serious trouble."
"Did he?"
"No. He got lucky. Everyone in the diner told Bobby Morris that Jock tried to hit him first."
Parker laughed. "It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy."
I giggled. "Still not funny."
He held up his hand and made a C with his thumb and forefinger. "Tiny bit?"
I huffed and rolled my eyes. "Fine. It's a tiny bit funny. I really wish I could have seen it happen," I said conspiratorially. "Even so, Buzz is always warning me about drawing too much attention to myself, but he is playing a dangerous game."
"How so?"
We were out in the open with no one around, but it wasn't worth taking a chance that someone might have ears on us. "I can't tell you now." I patted his chest. "Later?"
He nodded. "Over dinner tonight?"
The itch of the coming moon and Buzz's news made me feel raw with broiling energy. I shook my head. "Not tonight. Okay? I think I need to…you know." I made a playful "rawr" sound and shaped my fingers like claws.
"You can always come back later on tonight and put those claws to other uses if you want."
I smirked and smacked his chest. "We'll see." I gestured at the ladder. "Painting the shelter where the paint flaked off?"
"More like scratched off. It looks like someone took a rake to the whole far side."